Chapter 1.2. A long-awaited reunion

 

The transfer as a whole was barely perceptible and completely silent. It left only a slight sensation of movement as if you took one step lower and a bright light. To avoid going blind, Mike closed his eyes. A few seconds and the bright light were gone. Mike waited a little longer and then opened his eyes.

Mike was standing on an inscribed pentagram identical to the one in his house. The pentagram glowed faintly. A protective shield was raised around it, much more powerful than in his house. The translucent milk-colored shield shimmered in small, wavy ripples. This shield could withstand almost any intruder.

Behind the shield was a spacious hall. It was round, about fifteen meters in diameter, and five meters high. The floor, walls, and ceiling were all made of silver metal. There were no windows. Several ceiling lights illuminated the hall.

Mike appeared on the first floor. There were several passages from the hall and two steps up to the second floor. Under him was the technical ground floor, and above it was the third floor, also technical. The whole thing was a secret lab shelter that Mike had started building over 40 years ago.

Secret labs and shelters were not unusual. Many influential individuals, clans, and organizations have them. Some people joked that a big secret city was under the capital. Though Mike could say with certainty that it wasn't true.

But what made Mike's lab so different from the others was that it wasn't underground. And not even within the borders of the capital. It resided in a subspace that scientists commonly refer to as the Void. The Void was discovered a long time ago. But people never found a stable use for it. Most attempts use Void for teleportation over long distances. Since it was airless and lacked gravity, people thought that it would reduce costs and speed up teleportation over long distances. In theory, it did, but in reality, it proved impossible. The coordinates in space and subspace did not match. Space in Void was constantly and chaotically distorting. There were no straight paths.

Mike got the idea to experiment with Void after he read in the de Graaf's clan library some diaries of failed experiments of his ancestors. Then there were several years of preparation and seven years of torment. Had it not been for his mother's support and Mike's innate tenacity, he would have given it all up long ago. But in the end, he managed to create a stable and safe channel to subspace. And then came the idea of setting up a lab there. Mike's family helped at first, but then they began to consider "playing" with Void to be a dangerous gamble and strongly dissuaded Mike from continuing. Mike practically agreed. But didn't give up on the idea of setting up a lab. Secretly in his spare time, he continued building the lab. Over the next seven years, he was able to build a lot. The laboratory got its almost finished look.

The only problem Mike couldn't solve at the time was the safety problem. If the subspace link fails, the lab will be cut off from space. And only Mike could restore the link, but he couldn't be in two places at once. But, 25 years ago, he was able to find a solution to the problem. Or rather, he was found by her.

"Efi, take the shield down," Mike asked. A few seconds passed, but no change followed.

"Efi..."

Another ten seconds passed.

"No," came the reply from somewhere behind him.

Mike turned around quickly. A female figure was levitating beside the shield. Or rather, a female demonic figure. She was tall, over two meters, with dark red scales, horns, sharp nails, and a tail, black eyes with a red pupil. There is only one problem - the demoness is incorporeal, translucent, like a spirit or a ghost.

"I'm sorry," Mike said with regret, bowing his head.

"You left me alone for a whole year."

"I didn't know it would turn out that way."

Mike's last mission went a little off schedule, and he had to stay away much longer.

"You said the trip would only be for three or four months. I almost died of boredom," said Efi, circling the shield. "You didn't even get me presents."

"You can't die. You're immortal," said Mike quietly.

"What?" Asked Efi, halting abruptly.

She stared at him questioningly, demanding that he repeat his phrase. But Mike could see from her facial expression that she'd heard what he'd said.

"I just arrived in town," said Mike loudly.

"You could have brought it with you beforehand. Where are the books, newspapers, journals, old scrolls, information crystals at last?"

Efi loves to collect all kinds of information. A new unread book made her as happy as a child getting a lollipop.

"I was in the desert with the nomads. They don't have newspapers or journals, just sand and lots of trouble."

"Hmm..."

Efi continued, levitating in a circle, carefully examining Mike. Then she froze, her gaze drawn to his back. For a few seconds without moving. Then she turned off the shield.

"There you go, you brought something after all," she said as she flew over to him and ran her finger down his back.

Mike felt a piercing chill run down his back. "Show me," she whispered in his ear.

"No," Mike replied firmly, took a step forward, and then turned around. "I'll draw you later."

"Tch, I'm not interested in this body painting," she said. "But still, draw it now."

Mike didn't notice how a sheet of paper appeared in her hands. Even though she was ethereal, she could contact and manipulate things. Mike took a sheet of paper from her and went to a small seating area near the wall with a few tables and chairs. The drawing itself took no more than five minutes. When he finished, he handed her a sheet of paper.

"Happy?" He asked her. Efi studied the drawing carefully.

"And what do you need it for," she asked, poking her finger at his drawing. "Air and control. Such shamanic magic has limited practical application. Only in the far north and, yes, in the desert… Hmm."

There was a magical tattoo on Mike's back. From the point of science, it was a type of magical engraving. Recently, people tried not to use them, as artifacts are more widespread.

"It's a gift. I just took advantage of the opportunity that presented itself. And it even helped me. And you're wrong. It can't be tracked or felt, which can be extremely helpful."

On his last mission, Mike saved a tribe of nomads from certain death. In gratitude, the head of the tribe and the shaman offered him a young girl as a wife. And in addition, a small herd. The shaman also wanted to make Mike his apprentice. So, he had to bargain a little.

"An irresistible force of nature. Only very weak."

"Okay," said Mike, "What's the current status of the base?"

He hadn't been here for more than a year, and naturally, he was worried about his creation. After all, he hadn't left the capital for so long.

"Alive and healthy, not disembodied yet," replied Efi.

"I'm serious," Mike said.

Efi signed theatrically, raised her hand, and after a while, a translucent crystal plate the size of a standard sheet - a crystal tablet - flew up to her.

"You can see it for yourself," she said. "An irresistible force of nature. Just not that weak."

"The laws of physics and magic here are a little different," Mike replied. He took the crystal tablet and asked: "How's the reactor?"

"Sixty percent left. The tablet has everything," she pointed to it.

Mike activated the plate, sending an energy pulse into it. It glowed, and a drawing of text appeared on it. Mike began moving his index finger across it, occasionally pressing something. The picture and the text kept changing.

"Reactor - 60%. Stocks…, production… 1,341 crystals grown, 16 tablets. Incidents…"

The reactor represented the peak of their civilization's technological achievement. It was essentially a thermonuclear water reactor. Magic played no small part in its operation. It kept the monstrous pressure and temperature inside the reactor vessel under control.

After a while, Mike looked away from the tablet. He opened a leather briefcase and pulled out a different one. Then give it to her.

"There's something that will interest you, too," he said. "And at the same time, make a copy of the information on this tablet. I'll be bringing some supplies to replenish the reactor today. I'll take probably two hundred crystals and four blank tablets with me."

 

It took Mike an hour and a half to do everything. The return transfer was much easier. No crystals need for it, and no blood. Efi did all the managing.

"Mike, don't forget to bring me information from last year. And you can grab another fresh soul, preferably a child," she said when Mike was already transferring.

He almost choked. The last thing he heard was a ringing laugh.

 

As Mike transferred, Efi became abruptly serious. She clenched her hands into fists. Sharp nails dug into her body. Efi raised her fists to get a better look. But there was not a drop of blood, not a feeling of pain.

"I hate this stupid hunger. I hate this stupid body. Fifty thousand years have passed. Nothing has changed."

Efi dropped her hands and unclenched her fists.

"But most of all, I hate knowing that a fresh soul won't be able to satisfy even a drop of hunger. Stupid hunger."

After standing motionless in one place for a while longer, she then went to read the materials that Mike had left behind.

"At least I'll get some distraction."

 

When he appeared in the hall, Mike quickly looked around in fear of intruders in the house. But there was no one. He sighed heavily.

"No fresh souls."

After returning to the second floor, Mike changed into a military uniform. It was a dark green uniform with a full skirt, semi-caftan, with silver embroidery and two rows of silver buttons, with a black high-standing collar and a black cuff on the sleeves with captain's epaulets. Dark green trousers tucked in over black leather boots. Blackcap with a coat of arms. Black leather harness with a silver badge with a coat of arms. Saber on the right side. On the hands are thin leather gloves.

In a leather briefcase, he put some papers, letters to send, crystals, and tablets. Mike glanced at the clock. It was a quarter to eleven, so he went down to the first floor and out into the street, closed the door with his key, and turned on the security scanner.

Mike waited for a free passing carriage and stopped it. "Is the carriage free," he asked the coachman.

"Yes, sir," the gray-skinned young man answered him.

Mike quickly got into the carriage.

"To the General's Square."

"Very well, sir. That'll be two silver coins."

"Here," Mike handed him the coins.

As soon as the guy got the coins, they departed.

It was about a 40-minute way to the square, but as soon as they drove into one of the main streets, they stopped.

"What happened," Mike asked.

"I'll go find out, sir," the guy answered him.

Quite quickly, a line of a dozen other carriages formed behind Mike's carriage. There were many gawkers on the sidewalk who were being pushed back by the city guards. A few minutes later, the coachman returned, a little pale, probably from what he had seen. Mike became curious.

"Sir, the guards are about to clear the passage, and we can move on," the guy said to Mike.

"And what happened there?"

Because of the number of guards and the gawkers watching, Mike assumed that there was a fatal accident.

"Murder, sir."

"Murder?" Mike wondered.

Murder in broad daylight in a crowded place in the capital was a rather unusual occurrence. It was usually safe here. Even despite the presence of mages of all ranks in the capital.

"Yes."

"Could you be more specific," Mike asked him.

He felt curious.

"There's not a good story, sir. A noble couple was strolling along the sidewalk or maybe shopping somewhere. But the noble lady was unlucky, she stumbled and fell on the road under a passing carriage. The coachman reacted quickly, and the lady was unhurt. Only her dress and handbag suffered damage. Her companion blamed the coachman. A dispute resulted. And the noble lord decided to punish him himself without waiting for the guards. He turned out to be a strong magus. And he roasted the poor fellow coachman to death. And there were a couple of his friends in the carriage. They took it as an assault and attacked the magus. The result was two more dead bodies. Then the guards showed up, and now they're sorting it out," the guy sighed.

"How did you know all that?"

"People saw everything."

"I see," Mike replied.

After a couple of minutes, traffic on the street resumed. And as Mike rode past, he saw the scene of the tragedy. The obstructing carriage has gone now. There were three bodies on the sidewalk nearby. Two of the bodies were badly burnt. The third one, a young guy, had a huge hole in his chest the size of a fist. The gray color of his skin gave him away as an immigrant. And Mike immediately smelled the sweet scent of roasted flesh.

Nearby, a few meters away, stood a respectable couple, a young lady in an expensive dress and her companion, a middle-aged man in a stylish suit. Beside them was an officer of the city guard. Both men fussed over the lady, who had evidently become ill, for she was covering her face with a handkerchief. Several other guards were making a protocol and questioning witnesses.

"Eighth rank of power," said Mike, looking again at the middle-aged man in the stylish suit.

"What?" The coachman asked.

"No, nothing," Mike answered him.

 

A large General's Square was in the center of the capital with circular traffic and a park area in the center. It housed several ministries: the Ministry of Order, the Ministry of the Army, the Ministry of the Navy, and the Ministry of Foreign Intelligence.

"Sir, where do you want me to stop?" The coachman asked as they approached the square.

"The Foreign Intelligence building," Mike answered him.

"Very well, sir."

The traffic in the square was quite heavy. It took a while to get to the Foreign Intelligence building, and they even had to wait in a small queue.

"Sir, we have arrived," the boy said as he jumped out of his seat and opened the door for Mike.

"Thank you and have a good day," Mike said, getting up.

"Good day to you, too, sir," the coachman replied.

He bowed slightly, then returned to his seat. The boy yanked the reins, and the carriage pulled away.

The Ministry of Foreign Intelligence has tens of thousands of employees, both here in the empire and foreign countries. And there were branches in every port and border city. Because of the nature of their work, the Ministry of Foreign Intelligence has an extensive network of agents both in border states and major states far away from the border.

In the capital, the ministry has more than 400 employees in a dozen departments.

Mike began to walk up the wide stairs to the building. There were a lot of people around, some Mike knew and others he greeted.

The building was tall, five stories high, of dark, almost black stone. The entrance to the building had two sections - for employees and visitors. Well-armed guards were always on duty in front of the building and inside. Mike headed toward the employee entrance. Inside was a small lobby with three security checkpoints and lots of guards.

"Good afternoon," Mike turned to the vacated security guard on duty. " Michael de Graaf, Internal Investigations Department, returned from a long assignment."

"Documents," a young girl with glasses and a lieutenant's uniform asked him.

"Here," Mike held out his documents to her.

The girl carefully examined his documents and then him. Her glasses emanate strong magical energy.

"Weapons, forbidden items," she asked, lingering her gaze several times on the leather briefcase.

"I have a permit," Mike held out the permit.

The girl quickly read it and gave it back.

"Signature, please."

"Of course," said Mike and quickly created a signature.

The girl, seeing it, nodded in satisfaction and then made a notation in her journal.

"You may pass," she said, handing him the documents back.

"Thank you," Mike said as he went through the access frame.

The frame made a long-drawn-out sound and glowed red.

A couple of the guards, hearing the unpleasant sound, tensed up and looked in Mike's direction. But when they saw that everything was under control and their help was not needed, they went about their business.

"Go to Room 143 on the first floor to renew your pass," the girl added as Mike passed the frame.

"Okay. Have a good day."

He found Room 143 quickly. Inside at the desk sat an elderly woman in a captain's uniform.

"Good afternoon," Mike addressed her. " Michael de Graaf, Internal Investigations Department, back from a long assignment. Need a pass renewal."

"Documents and a pass," she asked.

The woman took the pass, a small metal plate with a yellow crystal closer to one edge, and inserted it into the machine on a nearby desk. She pressed a button on it. Mike felt a brief surge of energy. After a couple of seconds, she pulled out the pass and made some notes in her journal. Then she handed back to Mike his documents and the pass.

"The pass is valid for 30 days, then you need a renewal," she said.

"Thank you," Mike said and walked out of the room.